Megan's Bridal Portraits at Paraiso Maravilla

You saw Megan & John's engagement portraits, now it's time for bridals!

I met Megan at Paraiso Maravilla and she looked amazing! Her hair and makeup done by Kristina at Jordan Temple Makeup, she was done-up but looked very natural-glowy beautiful.

We shot all around the venue, even with some twirling! Megan's wedding theme was kind of pretty-frosty-winter, so her blues and whites, along with the almost poinsettia floral pattern on her gown made for he perfect combination. She had some great faux-vintage jewelry that complemented her look, and incorporated a sparkling antique brooch that belonged to her grandmother into her bouquet stem as her "something old".

I think I've mistakenly forgotten to include the image Megan chose to display at the reception! I'll fix that-- but in the mean time, enjoy!

Say Hello to my little friend... Riley!

Jeremy and Brandy are dear friends of ours... Jeremy was a groomsman in our wedding, my husband Jack stood in Jeremy's wedding (looking mighty handsome, might I say), I photographed their wedding, and we enjoy visiting with them any time we can make it up to Austin! Gracious host and hostess that they always are, I wanted to be sure to take some great pictures of their recent addition, little Miss Riley.

We visited over July 4 weekend when Brandy was ready for the baby to come any day, but luckily Riley let her mom enjoy the weekend and came into the world shortly after the holiday. At 6 months, she is 100% adorable... she has quite a "Gerber baby" look with that round little face and those precious blue eyes.

We kind of just stuck her in a bumbo seat on the kitchen table and shot in the window light. She's a natural!

Adrienne's Gorgeous Galvez Bridal Portraits

I met Adrienne and her coordinator, Kelly Balfour of Eventology Weddings, at Hotel Galvez on a SUPER windy chilly day in December... luckily we were able to shoot mostly indoors and in the shelter of the big hotel!

We did a couple of unconventional angles (Adrienne lying on the floor, for instance, me lying on the floor shooting) but they turned out really well. Adrienne actually chose two enlargements for her reception-- the first image and the fourth image below-- fabulous news for me, because we all know I love a happy client, and I love seeing my work blown up and displayed : ) I also loved the way the silhouettes came out! When I have a bride with a gown whose train is so textured, I love to make the light fall over it just so. The Galvez provides plenty of appropriate curtained vignettes for these types of shots.

Adrienne oozes cool confidence and determination, but you could totally see her eyes sparkle and the ends of her lips turn up into a smile when it came to talking about her fiance Javier. Their wedding day was so much fun (photobooth and hot dog cart at the reception)! I can't wait to share some of those moments with you once the images are edited.

Be sure to checkout her shoes (heels covered in crystals) and her ridiculously beautiful engagement ring : )

Elisa & Peter's Engagement Portraits

Elisa and Peter met me in Hermann Park on an absolutely gorgeous sunny day! Our first mission was to shoot a picture involving Elisa's engagement ring on one of Peter's fishing lures-- and Peter did not disappoint when it came to fishing lure options. He had colorful, sparkly, several great options. Inevitably I went with "sparkly" and it worked out beautifully! I was able to focus on the ring, yet capture the couple off in the distant background of the image. Hooray for success (and blue skies)! It will happily adorn their save-the-date magnets.

We walked around the park for a while, stopping here and there to shoot. The trees along the waterway really capture the light near sunset, so that the foliage provides a nice watercolor-inspired backdrop to sweet couple shots. Gotta love those beautiful golden hues.

Now, Elisa is very pretty with an infectious personality... but my hat's off to Peter. He is clearly not the "frolic in the park and take pictures" kind of guy, but he was a great sport and did well. Hopefully the wedding day will go just as smoothly! This is one of the reasons I love shooting engagement portraits-- it gives me a great opportunity to get to know the couple, and hopefully make them feel more comfortable once the big day arrives.

A Gift for Granny

All Granny wanted for Christmas was a nice picture of her four grandchildren together on North Boulevard beneath the beautiful oak trees.

Ahh... trying to find a pretty day when two families who live about an hour away from one another can meet... during the holidays... during football season and soccer playoff season... but we made it happen! We presented Granny with a fun slideshow on Christmas Eve and she was thrilled.

Without further ado, here are my two and my sister's two all along North Boulevard and playing amongst the brand new art installation in Hermann Park!

Leah's Dallas Bridals... maybe my favorite ever.

Leah's wedding took place in Dallas, so I traveled up her way to shoot the bridals! We met at the McKinney Cotton Mill, and the rest is history. Leah's simple-fancy-vintage taste was a fantastic with the deconstructed feel of the Mill... and boy believe you me, it's pretty deconstructed in some places! They aren't shy at all about letting you roam all around, even in the parts of the property that are not yet renovated.

Oh and then there are those hot pink shoes... yes ma'am. And her stunning engagement ring (check out the profile! pretttty!). And the incredible veil her mother made. Did I mention that her mother was a really wonderful stand-in photographer's assistant?

Leah had a great sash on her gown that was adorned with a structured snow-flower, perfect for a wintery January celebration! Her grandmother's brooch placed on the bouquet stems reflected the blue-gray light... it's the details, isn't it?

I can't wait to post images from her wedding : )

Thanks to bridesmaid Leslie (Leah's sister and Maid of Honor) for the referral! I was totally happy to go a little out of my way to help capture the family memories.

The bride and her family chose the first image as the large print to display at the reception... absolutely stunning.

Extreme Prints for the Extreme Home! Thank you POUNDS LABS!

Today was all about editing and submitting the giant print order for the lucky family who is getting their new Extreme Home on Thursday! It was a doozie (over 100 prints and enlargements), and I accidentally wiped out the order after I first entered it... but it will be fabulous to see the prints adorning those brand new walls : )

One meeeeeeelion bajillion thanks to John at Pounds Labs in Dallas for his unwavering tech support as I worked with an ordering system I'm not familiar with! He walked me through everything and is fixing anything I err'd on.

To boot, John has arranged for his crack staff of head-swapping gurus to edit one of the whole-family pictures (and this family is huge!) so that everyone's best face is put forward in the final print. This might just make John my favorite person of the day. If you've never done head-swapping edits, let me just tell you that it's pretty doggone time-consuming if you aren't a guru.

Maybe you need a little icing on the cake... and maybe even sprinkles... here goes.

Icing: John stayed late and answered e-mails even after he went home tonight, to make sure that everything went down alright with the order submission.

Sprinkles: Since the crew needs these prints as soon as is humanly possible, once those prints are safely packed away tomorrow, someone from Pounds is going to meet me halfway between here and Dallas to hand them over personally.

All I can say is WOW.

Did I mention Pounds Labs is donating all of their services and materials to this incredible family?

Saying "thanks" just isn't enough! Even a good old Elvis thankyouverymuch seems token.

Great job Pounds, way to step up to the plate!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in our area

A few weeks back an acquaintance tipped me off that ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would be featuring a family in our area this January... and they need volunteers to do the family photography. I applied because hey, why not? I figured they'd never pick me but it was worth the 2 minutes it took me to fill out the online form.

I got a call last night that they'd like for me to be their family photographer! It was 9 pm when I saw that I had missed the call (my husband and I were driving to Austin for work, and in true form I was singing all the way there), but I didn't want to miss my window of opportunity. I called her back immediately and left a message. Then I hung up and squealed a little and told Jack what was up.

Finally, I spoke with the representative today and confirmed all the details. I'll be meeting the family shortly after they're told that they're chosen, and then will have a short window of time when I'll shoot family and individual portraits... the designers will probably use them throughout the home for decor, I'm so excited! The opportunity to be a part of something so extraordinary leaves me truly humbled. Wish me luck, and pray for good weather tomorrow (not too sunny not too dark!).

If any lab/frame company representatives are reading this, we'll be needing print services donated, so please contact me via e-mail if you're willing to help.

January 6 & 7: Heading to Austin : )

If you're in Austin and in need of a portrait session, let me know! I'll be in town Wednesday and Thursday of this week, staying in the Round Rock area. I've got 3 slots available!